Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night…’ Job 35: 10, NIV
Dear Lord, You are so wonderful! When the nights get long, and life seems so hard, and we lay on our beds unable to sleep, You Lord, gives us songs in the night. As we study today, please give us a greater appreciation of our songs, for Christ’s sake. Amen
We are so blessed to have songs for every occasion. As many seasons as exist, there are songs. There are songs of Thanksgiving, songs of the Nativity, songs for Holy Week (Good Friday and Easter), songs for baptism, songs for funerals, and we could go on, and on. But there is also another category of songs that I call, “our songs in the night.”
Every life has its “night-time,” when the soul is bowed down with sorrow; those seasons of life when the sun seldom shines. It is at these times that we need to remember that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1). If I could add another period of life to this list, it would be, there is “a time for songs in the day, and a time for songs in the night.” If we should ask some of the faithful ones who have gone on before, what were their songs in the night, we might receive some answers like these:
Adam: “When I saw the first sign of death, and knew that it was my sin that had caused it, I began to long for the day when I would see my Savior. My song in the night became: ‘Face to face with Christ my Savior, Face to face what will it be, When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me’ ” (Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, p., 206)?
Enoch: “As men began to multiply upon the earth, and their thoughts were of evil constantly; I knew it would get worse before it got better, so I decided to seek a closer walk with God. My song in the night was: ‘And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; and the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known’ ” (487).
Jacob: “I had lied about my name, and was in trouble with my brother Esau. That was why I was running away from home. The day I received the news that he was coming after me with 400 men, I knew that I needed to be alone with God. I left my family on the other side of the brook. It was a very dark night. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, I thought it was my brother so I began to wrestle. The Person touched my thigh which left me with a limp. I realized I had been wrestling with the Angel of the Lord. He asked me what was my name. I was tired of lying, so I said, ‘my name is Jacob.’ He changed my name. He called me, ‘Israel,’ ‘Overcomer,’ ‘One who wrestles with God.’ My song became: ‘There is a new name written down in glory, and it’s mine, oh yes it’s mine! With my sins forgiven, I am bound for heaven, glory to His name’ ” (Source unknown)!
Job: “I would lay in bed at night with my body aching. My soul was also in pain. I had lost everything, except my wife. Everything was replaceable, except my children, oh, how it hurt! When the pain was too much to bear, I would sing on my bed: ‘I shall see the King where the angels sing I shall see the King someday, In the better land, On the golden strand, And with Him shall ever stay’ ” (Job 19: 25-27), (426).
We will continue.
Note: This series is comprised of excerpts from my sermon, “The Lord Gives Us Songs In The Night.”